1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an ink delivery system for a liquid electrophotographic printer and, more particularly, to an ink delivery system for a liquid electrophotographic printer having an improved structure in which a refillable cartridge, after being emptied, is connected to a waste tank to collect waste developer exhausted from the printer.
2. Related Art
In a liquid electrophotographic printer, a laser beam is directed by a laser scanning unit (LSU) onto a photoreceptor medium to form an electrostatic latent image thereon. Developer, which is a mixture of toner (or ink) and carrier, is injected between the photoreceptor medium and a development roller to develop the photoreceptor medium. A toner image developed on the photoreceptor medium is then transferred to a sheet of paper.
Such printers are burdened by certain disadvantages. Namely, when the ink or carrier cartridges become empty, those cartridges may not be used, and must be replaced. Moreover, the functional parts of such cartridge (e.g., the agitator) must be replaced. This is costly for the user/consumer, as well as time consuming, and has an adverse impact from the standpoint of environmental considerations (e.g., recycling).
In addition, in such printers, when the developer waste tank becomes full due to use, it must also be replaced. Since the waste tank is typically located under the circulation tank, the development unit and circulation tank must be removed in order to access and remove the waste tank. This is time-consuming and annoying for the user/consumer, and is also costly and wasteful (from the environmental standpoint).